Rotary folding mechanism for printing-presses.



H. LANG. ROTARY FOLDING MEGHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

yA12lLlfLALTI0N FILED APR. 13, 1908. I l l Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

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H. LANG., y ROTARY FOLDING AMECHANI'SM FOR'J'RIlVI'flNGrl PRESSES.

APPLIoATioN FILED APE. 13,1908.

Patented Sept.29, 1908.

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H. LANG.

l ROTARY FOLDING MEGHANISM PQR. PRINTING PRESSES.-

' APPLIOATION FILED un. 1a, 190s.

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UNITED vsTATns PATENT oni-non.

HUBERT LANG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSSl PRINTING PRESSCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ROTARY FOLDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. 29, 190s.

Application i'lecl April 13,' 1908. Serial No. 426,808.

in which the' folding blade in arotary car-v rier is operated fromnormal position into operative position and out of operative positioninto normal position by a moving guide, which, While traveling in the-same direction with the folding blade, acts upon it to move it into andout of operative position; and itsA object is to provide new andimproved mechanism by which the folding blade may be operated withoutany blow or violent contact of parts, thereby increasing the speed atwhich the blade maybe operated. v

In the accompanying drawings z-Figure l is an end view with a portion ofthe framework removed to show the parts. Fig. 2 is an end view, showingthe carrier, folding blades, and operative parts in other positions.Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail, being a view of the gearand operating guide thereon.

5 indicatesl a rotary carrier of the ordinaryv form and constructionwhich is mounted on a shaft 6 journaled in a suitable framework, as 7.The rotary carrier is preferably constructed to cooperate with therotary cutting cylinder 8, and to that end is provided with grooves 9which are designed to cooperate with the knife 10 on the cuttingcylinder 8.

4The carrier 5 is also provided with the usual impaling pins 11 whichmay be of any wellknown form and `construction and operate in anywell-known manner and hence are only conventionally illustrated.

12-12 indicate folding rollers which are mounted below the rotarycarrier 5 in a suitable portion of the framework, as 7a, and areoperated in the well-known usual manner.

13-13 indicate shafts which are journaled in suitable bearings, as 14,in the rotary carrier 5, and, 11i-the construction shown, are,

two in number diametrically opposite one another.

15 indicates folding blades which are secured to the shafts 413 in anywell-known manner.

16 indicates tumbling-levers which are secured upon the ends of theshafts 13 outside of the rotary carrier 5 and are provided upon theirends with studs 17, preferably in the form of rollers, and projectingoutwardly from the surface of the tumbling-levers 16.

18 indicates a guide-ring open at the bottom above the folding rollersto ermit the operation of the folding blade ereinafter described, uponthe inner surface of which the studs or rollers 17 on thetumbling-levers 16 bear to retain the blades in normal position'whilenot operating,-that is to say, in the form in which my improvements areillustrated, with the blade at right angles to the radius of the rotarycarrier which passes through the center of the shaft 13.

19 indicates a gear which is secured to the shaft 6. e f

A 20 indicates a 'gear which is journaled upon a stud 21 on theframework 7 and meshes with the gear 19. The gears 19-20 contain anequal number of teeth so that they rotatev at the same speed.

22 indicates guides which are secured to the inner surface of the gear20 or formed integral therewith, the guides'22 having their interiorsurfaces parallel with one another so as to provide a groove 23 which,in the form shown, extends diametrically acrossthe gear 20 open at bothends. The gear 20 is so located that its axis lies in the vertical planewhich is tangent to both the folding rollers at their point of contactand is slightly above the axial lines of the folding rollers 12. Thediameters ofthe gears 19 and 20, and the length of the guides 22 are soproportioned to the distance of the center of the shaft 13 from thecenter of the shaft 6, and the gear with the guides 22 is so positionedthat at just the moment when the roller on the lead "end of Ythe tumblin-lever comes into posirier in the usual manner. At the instant that thegroove 23 reaches the position shown on Fig. 1,-namely with the centralline tangent to the circle in which the axial line of the shaft 13travels-the tumblinglever has come into position to have the roller uponits lead end enter the groove. The parts revolving in the directionindicated by arrows in the several figures, the end of the groove whichengages the tumbling-lever will be traveling in the same direction atthe moment of its engagement, and, as the radius of the curve in whichthe tumbling-lever travels is greater than the radius of the gears19-20, the lead end of the tumbling-lever, as the parts rotate, will bemoved into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, tucking thepaper, which in the meantime has been severed by the knife l0, betweenthe folding rollers by which the fold is completed in the usual manner.As the rotation continues, the engaged roller on what has so far beenthe lead end of the tumbling-lever will travel up the groove and thetumbling-lever will be moved out of folding position. Just at the momentwhen the engaged roller is about to leave the groove, the central lineof the groove will again be tangent to the circle in which the axis ofthe tumbling-lever travels and the folding blade, moved out of foldingposition into normal position, will be delivered to the guide-ring tobel carried around and again operated.

As the `groove 23 extends diametrically across'the gear 20, in the formin which l have embodied my invention, and as the gear 20 makes onerevolution for each revolution of the rotary carrier, the folding bladediametrically opposite the one which has just been operated will comeinto position to be operated from the other end of the groove 23, andthe tumbling-levers and folding blades diametrically opposite each otherwill 'be successively operated, one from one end and the other from theother end of the groove. This is the form in which I prefer to embody myinvention, but it is of course obvious that instead of the twotumblinglevers and the two folding blades the carrier might contain onlyone or more than two tumbling-levers and folding blades, the parts'being correspondingly proportioned and operated, without departing fromthe spirit of my invention. It is obvious also that the direction ofrotation might be opposite to that indicated, the cutting cylinder beingsuitably disposed, and the operation would be exactly the same.

inasmuch as the engaging groove on the gear or rotary member, at themoment of its engaging the lead end of the tumbling-lever, is tangent tothe circle in which the axis of the tumbling lever moves, and as thisengagement is effected while traveling in the same general directionwith the lead end of the tumbling-lever, it is obvious that thetumbling-lever and therefore the folding blade will be moved from thenormal position in the guide to folding position without shock orviolent contact of parts, and as the blade is moved out of foldingposition towards normal position while the parts are traveling in thesame general direction, and at the moment of the release of thetumbling-lever from the guide the guide groove is again tangent to thecircle of travel of the axis of the tumbling lever, it is obvious thatthe blade will be moved out of folding position and delivered to theguide-ring in normal position without a shock or violent contact ofparts, enabling the device to be rotated at a high rate of speed.

Vihat l claim as my invention and. desire to secure .by Letters Patentis l. In combination, a rotary carrier, a folding blade carried thereby,a tumbling-lever on said folding blade, a guide-ring for saidtumbling-lever, fold-laying devices, a rotary member, whose axis lies inthe plane which is tangent to said fold-laying devices and passesthrough the axis of thefolding cylinder and a single radial guidethereon adapted to receive said tumbling-lever from said guide-ring innormal position, and, by its rotation, to move said folding blade intoand out of folding position and deliver said tumbling-lever to saidguide-ring in normal position. v

2. In combination, a rotary carrier, a folding blade carried thereby, atumbling-lever en said folding blade, a guide-ring for saidtumbling-lever, fold-laying devices, a rotary member, and a radial guidethereon adapted to receive said tumbling-lever from said guide-ring innormal position while substantially in line with said tuml)ling-lever,and, by its rotation, to move said folding blade into and out of foldingposition and deliver said tumlt-ling-lever to saidv guide-ring in normalposition when said radial guide and said tumbling-lever aresubstantially in line with each other.

3. In combination, a carrier, a folding blade, a tumbling-leverconnected to said folding blade, engaging studs on said tumbling-lever,a guide-ring, folding rollers, a rotary member, and a radial guidethereon adapted to engage the stud on the lead en d of saidtumbling-lever when said tumblinglever is in normal position and saidguide is substantially in line therewith, and, by its rotation, to movesaid folding blade into and out of folding position and deliver saidtumbling-lever to said guide-ring in normal position when said radialguide and said tumbling-lever are again substantially in line with eachother.

4l. The combination with a rotary carrier, a folding blade carriedthereby, a tumblinglever connected with said folding blade, a

guide-ring for said tumbling-lever, and folding rollers, of a rotarymember, and a radial guide thereon adapted to engage said tumbling-leverWhen said radial guide is substantially tangent to the curve of travelof said folding blade, and, by its'rotation, to move said folding bladefrom normal into folding position and from folding into normal posltionand deliver said tumbling-lever to said guide-ring-When said radialguide is substantially tangent to the curve of travel' of said foldingblade.

5. The combination With a carrier, a folding blade carried thereby, atumbling-lever connected with said folding blade, a guidering for saidtumbling-lever, and fold-laying devices, of a rotary member Whose axislies in the plane which is tangent to said foldlaying devices and passesthrough the axis of the folding cylinder, a single radial groove on saidrotary member adapted to receive the lead end of the tumbling-lever fromsaid guide-ring With said tumbling-lever in normal position and to movesaid folding blade into and out of folding position andto deliver saidtumbling-lever to said` guide-ring with said tumbling-lever in normalposition.y

6. The combination With a carrier, a folding blade carried thereby, atumbling-lever connected with said folding blade, a guidering for saidtumbling-lever, and fold-laying devices, of a rotary member providedwith a radial groove adapted to receive the lead end of thetumbling-lever from said guidering With said tumbling-lever in normalposition and While saidrguide is substantially in line With saidtumbling-lever and to move said folding blade intol and out of foldingposition and to deliver said tumbling-lever to said guide-ring withsaidtumbling-lever in normal position When said radial groove and saidtumbling-leverare again substantially in line. Y

7. The combination With a carrier, a folding blade carried thereby, atumbling-lever connected With said folding blade, a guidering for saidtumbling-lever, and fold-laying devices, of a rotary member providedWith a radial groove adapted to receive the lead end of thetumbling-lever from said guidering While substantially in line With saidtumbling-lever and With said tumbling.

lever in normal position and to move said folding blade into and out offoldingposition and to release said tumbling-lever from the same endofsaid groove by Which it Was first engaged and to deliver it in normalposition to said guide-ring When said groove and said tumbling-lever areagain substantially in line.

8. The combination with a carrier, diametrically-oppositely-disposedfolding blades, a tumbling-lever connected With each of said foldingblades, a guide-ring for said tumbling-levers, and fold-laying devices,of a rotary member, and a diametrically-disposed guide lon said rotarymember adapted successively at its opposite ends to alternately engagesaid tumbling-levers in normal position and to move the respectivefolding blades into and out of folding position and to release thetumbling-lever from the samey end of said guide by which it Was firstengaged and deliver the same'in normal position to said guide-ring.

9. The combination With a carrier, diametrically-oppositely-disposedfolding blades, a tumblingelever connected with each of said foldingblades, a guide-ring for said tumbling-levers, and fold-laying devices,of a rotary member, and a diametrically-disposed guide on'said rotarvmember adapted successively at its opposite ends to alternately engagesaid tumbling-levers in their normal position When substantially in linetherewith, to move them into and out of folding position, and to deliverthem in normal position to said guide-ring from the same end of saidguide by which they were engaged.

10. The combination with a carrier, a pair of tumbling-levers,oppositely-disposed folding blades, one of said tumbling-leversconnected with each of said folding blades, a guide-ring for saidtumbling-levers, and foldlaying devices, of a rotary member providedWith a groove extending diametrically across it and adapted successivelyatits opposite ends to alternately engage the lead ends of saidtumbling-levers While the same are in normal position, and, by itsrotation, to move said folding blades into and out of folding positionand deliver the said tumbling-levers in normal position to theguide-ring from the same end of said guide by which they Were engaged.

HUBERT LANG.

Witnesses:

GEO. D. ALLABY, W. G. FERGUSON.

